“Getting Sonarworks SoundID Reference was a really good investment. Before putting up the cash for it I had spent about six weeks trying to calibrate my speakers with the free program, Room EQ Wizard (REW). REW is great for those with joint proficiency in both audio hardware and computers but for me, the complexity, second-guessing, time expenditure, unforeseen expenses, and above all the countless invisible variables were too much. I gave up on REW on the home stretch when I learned that to actually apply the EQ to my computer I would have to download several other programs including one called Audio Hijacker which seemed to need unlimited access to my computer.
Then I bought Sonarworks SoundID Reference and, with a little help from their support team, my speakers are up and running and they sound awesome. A SoundID calibration takes about 20 minutes and one drawback with it is that there’s no way to do a quick preliminary version for example if you want to test out small changes like bass trap placement etc. I guess that’s where REW comes in handy as a quick measuring tool. It might also be nice to have the option of doing a measurement that's more narrowly focused on a small listening sweet spot.
I did about 8 measurements with Sonarworks SoundID Reference before arriving at a final reading. That’s because I was getting some dips and peaks that exceeded 6 dB and I wanted to correct those large imbalances with speaker placement etc and save EQ for the final touches. It helped to adjust the volume knob on one of my speakers to compensate for too deep of a dip in that one speaker (and for the general quietness of that speaker). It helped to place an object halfway between the speakers on the same plane as a reference for exactly where to point the mic. It also helped to make sure the lower edge of the tweeters was pointing directly at my ear instead of the upper edge of the woofers and that the speaker's feet were adjusted so that the speaker tilt was exactly the same. Buying expensive speaker isolation stands also coincided with getting a better less jagged frequency reading and that might well have played a role. I'd say that, if you can afford it, you'll be glad you got Sonarworks SoundID Reference.”
“Sonarworks – SoundID performed well for me. It is a user-friendly software that allows me to optimize my audio recordings and bring them to a professional level. The audio correction is very effective and has greatly improved my sound. The support was not very motivated and left me disappointed. I'm satisfied with Sonarworks – SoundID in general.”
“I love how quickly and easily the soundID reference and Mic work. My Studio has never been more accurate and useful even after years of fighting reflections, guessing about mic bounces, checking and rechecking my mixes in cars, headphones etc… I’m super impressed with the UI and the thought behind each feature. It’s honesty more valuable than any purchase you could make if you think about it. You need to hear accurately and SoundID and mic give you that opportunity.”
“The mixes I'm able to get now translate nearly perfectly after the 1st draft. I'm saving an incredible amount of time now because I can actually hear the music I'm working on accurately!”
“I decided to try "SoundID Reference for Speakers & Headphones" after I had been working with Gareth Jones in his London studio, during the mix sessions of my debut album. Once back in my home studio in Italy, I wanted to recreate that perfectly neutral environment that I had wished for a long time.
Once I received the microphone I started studying how to get the best result out of it and I started the procedure, but I got stuck at the right speaker during the measurements: "High Noise Detected". I was frustrated, but I never doubt for a second the software was right. It took hours to understand and solve the problem: it was a super high frequency generated by a power strip (almost inaudible to the human ear) that was interfering with the distance measurement. Once I switched that off everything worked perfectly and it made me understand how Sonarworks software is precise and detailed.
I must say my room now sounds incredible, I can finally listen to details I could not before, especially on the low ends, which are now cleaner and make the stereo image more precise and focused.
It's much easier now to trust my decisions while I am mixing.
Perdurabo”
“I've always wondered why mixers and master engineers have to lower or raise certain frequencies when I've finished mixing my songs, listening in my headphones fort and back. This was the beginning of a completely new way of working. I make my mix and bouncing it out and it sounds like it should, finally after yeeeears!
I bought your product and thought the whole process was smooth. Setup was very clear and easy to get started with headphones. Now I just need to calibrate my monitors. Thank you!”
